Case Study: Radiant Floor Warming For Our Valued Troops

Written by Linnay GroschePosted on
07/24/2013

Organization overview - Tee Shirts 4 Troops got its start when three jazz musicians on a United Services Organizations tour visited a soldier's hospital overseas in Germany. The trio noticed how little clean clothing the troops in the hospital had during their recuperation and were told that U.S. troops wounded on the field were often flown to Germany without their duffel bags. They would then take weeks to arrive.

For more than four years now, Tee Shirts 4 Troops has been providing America's finest with clean shirts to wear during their recuperation. The organization's founder, Jim Peters, said that his goal is to get a shirt out to every wounded GI out there. And while it's a big dream, it's one that Peters, his team and Tee Shirts 4 Troops' host of sponsors are making a reality, having already distributed 13,500 T-shirts since then with the help of numerous sponsors.

This is where WarmlyYours Radiant Heating comes in. Providing premium radiant heating products to homeowners in the U.S. and Canada, WarmlyYours is one of the most respected industry companies out there. And like Tee Shirts 4 Troops other sponsors, we thought it might have something to offer Jim Peters' group and the GIs who serve the country.

The Challenge - Jim Peters has gone above and beyond just Tee Shirts 4 Troops. He also helps run a center that works with wounded soldiers returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. According to Peters, the average amputee will have had over 35 surgeries and a quadriplegic will have undergone over 100. Peters' team takes these troops in and helps them recuperate, alongside soldiers who return with either traumatic brain injuries or post-traumatic stress disorder.

Their Indianapolis building has two special spots in the renovated basement called the warrior rooms. According to Peters, these are used for wounded troops in transition - the kinds of soldiers who need a quiet place to retire and recoup. These rehabilitation rooms share a bathroom and provided soldiers with a quiet place to rest, but Peters noted that the organization ran into one consistent problem. Unfortunately, the floors were anything but cozy and warm, especially during Indiana's winter. But WarmlyYours had the solution.

The Solution - When WarmlyYours first heard about Tee Shirts 4 Troops while raising money for a USO charity, we were so impressed with all that Peters' organization had done that we donated two Infinity Towel Warmers. But then we decided to take it one step further once we heard about the warrior room renovations. As Peters noted, if a soldier is missing a leg, scooting across the basement floor could be a frigid experience, even with carpeting. Even space heaters couldn't fix the problem. WarmlyYours came in and supplied the floor heating, which distributes heat evenly and at ground level, where the soldiers often need it most.

The Result - According to Peters, the under floor heating supplied by WarmlyYours regulates heat better, and because the floors themselves are made of wood, soldiers with leg injuries can move along on them more quickly. Peters said that while most of the work is done, there's a little remodeling left in the second warrior room which they'll tackle this fall. That way it'll be ready in time for the cold winter, when some returning troops most need a warm place to rest their heads and hearts.

Like Tee Shirts 4 Troops, WarmlyYours worked to provide what it knows best: a little comfort and security for Americans who deserve it most.